Dear Forum, I have over the last few weeks been experiencing a problem on start-up with FTM 2014 version 22.0.0.1345 run on a Win 7 O/s with 16 Gb memory. On start-up it states. " FTM was not closed properly the last time it was used You may need to compact your last opened file to resolve any issues caused by an improper shutdown. To compact the file choose the Compact File from the tools menu" I have been in the habit of closing FTM in the past by just clicking the close X in the top right of the screen, but on reading further instructions I now close using the File - Exit command in the top left hand tool bar. This does not seem to have cured the issue either even after compacting the file before closing down I still get this recurring fault on start-up, from memory I think this started about the same time as the last major upgrade or the last update. Any help or useful suggestions would be most appreciated. Kind Regards, Mike.

What you describe is highly unusual and I'm not sure exactly why it is happening or what is causing it. Normally, you receive the message because the file was closed abruptly. In most cases the file is OK but on occasion there may be something wrong. Compacting the file normally corrects the condition but it doesn't seem to be doing any good in your case. First, it really doesn't matter whether you use the X in the upper right corner or using the File Exit. Both trigger the same activity which is to close the file and terminate FTM. Are you experiencing this problem with any other files? If you don't have another file, create a new small file and try opening and closing FTM with that file. Hopefully this will tell us whether the problem lies only with the file or whether there is something happening with FTM. I'm pretty sure it is simply the file but we need to eliminate any other potential sources of the problem. Assuming the problem lies with the file, Compacting the file normally corrects the problem but in your case it doesn't seem to do that. So the next step is to perform a "deep compacting of the file". You can do this by: 1. Opening FTM 2. Close the file currently open by clicking File, Close. This closes the file but leaves FTM running. FTM displays the screen for creating a new file. 3. Now you can run the "deep compact". To do this Press and hold Shift+Ctrl+Alt and click C (shift+ctrl+alt+c). FTM will open a dialog window which you will need to locate your file folder and select the file name. 4. Select the file name and click Open. 5. A dialog box opens, Click Compact. 6. Compacting will complete. 7. The New file window will display but in the lower left corner there should be a window listing files. Click your file and it should open, hopefully without any problems. 8. Exit FTM and reopen FTM. Again hopefully the file will open without any problems. If you still get the error message, 1. I would make a backup of the file. 2. I would then use File Restore to restore the backup with a new name. 3. If you have your file synched to an AMT, ensure you elect to synch the new restored file to the AMT. (note, this will break the sync between the old file and the AMT but that is OK.) 4. The restored file will be open. 5. Exit FTM and restart. It should open the restored file without any problems. 6. Check out the file. 7. You can then delete the old file. 8. If you want the new restored file to have the same name as the original file, you can use FTM to Rename the file. This will update all of the links to the media files using the proper folder and file name. If after all this, you are still experiencing the same problem with the file, the only other thing I can suggest is to: 1. Use FTM to create a New file. 2. When creating the new file, input only one individual using a name which is not in your original file. 3. With the newly created file open, Click File Merge. 4. Select your old file and complete the merge. This causes FTM to bring all individuals and information from the old file into the new file. 5. The newly merged file will be open. At this point you can select the "fictitious name" and delete it from the file. 6. Exit FTM and Restart FTM. 7. Using FTM, you can delete the old file and Rename the newly merged file using the original file name. 8. Unfortunately, using this technique will require you to upload the file to a new AMT file. Before uploading the new AMT, I would go online and delete the old AMT. You don't want an old tree sitting around and never being updated. Let us know the results. BJ On 5/14/2015 9:35 AM, Mike Thacker via wrote: > I have over the last few weeks been experiencing a problem > on start-up with FTM 2014 version 22.0.0.1345 run on a Win 7 O/s with 16 Gb > memory. On start-up it states. " FTM was not closed properly the last time > it was used You may need to compact your last opened file to resolve any > issues caused by an improper shutdown. To compact the file choose the > Compact File from the tools menu" > I have been in the habit of closing FTM in the past by just clicking > the close X in the top right of the screen, but on reading further > instructions I now close using the File - Exit command in the top left hand > tool bar. This does not seem to have cured the issue either even after > compacting the file before closing down I still get this recurring fault on > start-up, from memory I think this started about the same time as the last > major upgrade or the last update. Any help or useful suggestions would be > most appreciated.

Dear BJ, As always when I submit a question to the forum I get an answer to my problem and also thanks to all that replied, I did as you suggested BJ and did "deep compacting of the file" this so far seems to have cured the start - up problem. Is it possible that you could explain how and why the deep compact works and the ordinary compact does not? (in laymen's terms please) as I am not a programmer. Once again may thanks to the forum and members for all the help given. Kind Regards, Mike. -----Original Message----- From: ftm-tech-bounces@rootsweb.com [mailto:ftm-tech-bounces@rootsweb.com] On Behalf Of BJ via Sent: 14 May 2015 18:25 To: ftm-tech@rootsweb.com Subject: Re: [FTM-TECH] Start - Up Fault What you describe is highly unusual and I'm not sure exactly why it is happening or what is causing it. Normally, you receive the message because the file was closed abruptly. In most cases the file is OK but on occasion there may be something wrong. Compacting the file normally corrects the condition but it doesn't seem to be doing any good in your case. First, it really doesn't matter whether you use the X in the upper right corner or using the File Exit. Both trigger the same activity which is to close the file and terminate FTM. Are you experiencing this problem with any other files? If you don't have another file, create a new small file and try opening and closing FTM with that file. Hopefully this will tell us whether the problem lies only with the file or whether there is something happening with FTM. I'm pretty sure it is simply the file but we need to eliminate any other potential sources of the problem. Assuming the problem lies with the file, Compacting the file normally corrects the problem but in your case it doesn't seem to do that. So the next step is to perform a "deep compacting of the file". You can do this by: 1. Opening FTM 2. Close the file currently open by clicking File, Close. This closes the file but leaves FTM running. FTM displays the screen for creating a new file. 3. Now you can run the "deep compact". To do this Press and hold Shift+Ctrl+Alt and click C (shift+ctrl+alt+c). FTM will open a dialog window which you will need to locate your file folder and select the file name. 4. Select the file name and click Open. 5. A dialog box opens, Click Compact. 6. Compacting will complete. 7. The New file window will display but in the lower left corner there should be a window listing files. Click your file and it should open, hopefully without any problems. 8. Exit FTM and reopen FTM. Again hopefully the file will open without any problems. If you still get the error message, 1. I would make a backup of the file. 2. I would then use File Restore to restore the backup with a new name. 3. If you have your file synched to an AMT, ensure you elect to synch the new restored file to the AMT. (note, this will break the sync between the old file and the AMT but that is OK.) 4. The restored file will be open. 5. Exit FTM and restart. It should open the restored file without any problems. 6. Check out the file. 7. You can then delete the old file. 8. If you want the new restored file to have the same name as the original file, you can use FTM to Rename the file. This will update all of the links to the media files using the proper folder and file name. If after all this, you are still experiencing the same problem with the file, the only other thing I can suggest is to: 1. Use FTM to create a New file. 2. When creating the new file, input only one individual using a name which is not in your original file. 3. With the newly created file open, Click File Merge. 4. Select your old file and complete the merge. This causes FTM to bring all individuals and information from the old file into the new file. 5. The newly merged file will be open. At this point you can select the "fictitious name" and delete it from the file. 6. Exit FTM and Restart FTM. 7. Using FTM, you can delete the old file and Rename the newly merged file using the original file name. 8. Unfortunately, using this technique will require you to upload the file to a new AMT file. Before uploading the new AMT, I would go online and delete the old AMT. You don't want an old tree sitting around and never being updated. Let us know the results. BJ On 5/14/2015 9:35 AM, Mike Thacker via wrote: > I have over the last few weeks been experiencing a problem on start-up > with FTM 2014 version 22.0.0.1345 run on a Win 7 O/s with 16 Gb > memory. On start-up it states. " FTM was not closed properly the last > time it was used You may need to compact your last opened file to > resolve any issues caused by an improper shutdown. To compact the file > choose the Compact File from the tools menu" > I have been in the habit of closing FTM in the past by just clicking > the close X in the top right of the screen, but on reading further > instructions I now close using the File - Exit command in the top left > hand tool bar. This does not seem to have cured the issue either even > after compacting the file before closing down I still get this > recurring fault on start-up, from memory I think this started about > the same time as the last major upgrade or the last update. Any help > or useful suggestions would be most appreciated. ********************************** List information page http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Software/FTM-TECH.html ------------------------------- To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to FTM-TECH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the quotes in the subject and the body of the message

I'm not sure what the differences are between the regular compact and the deep compact. Here is what I surmise. The data base consists of multiple tables or sections of like data. The most commonly used or modified tables are the individual personal information, the individual facts data, the relationship pointers, the source and source citation data, place information, media data and notes. As this is the data which is most often modified and used, it is the data which is most susceptible to being corrupted or not updated. The "compact" probably examines this information and attempts to correct any problems found. What many of use don't remember or perhaps even recognize is there are other tables in the data base such as the saved reports/chars, the book, calendars, timelines, tasks, etc. These tend to not being used as often and therefore they are as susceptible to being corrupted BUT it is possible. Therefore the developers have provided the Deep Compact which looks at all tables and indices or address tables. Since it is looking at all of the tables and their information, it takes longer to complete. Since it looks at all of the data, it has the potential of not only correcting issues but if interrupted causing some irreparable damage to the data base. Therefore the developers don't tell the user community about it. I suspect your file had a problem with these "extra" tables and therefore the Compact did not correct but the Deep Compact did correct. Here is a list of actions I normally attempt in the order I attempt them. 1. Compact the file - This normally corrects the data addresses (the entries which point to the various tables. 2. Deep Compact the file - This examines all tables and addresses within the data base. 3. Restore from a good backup. This lets the user recover most of the data and retain the links between the data base and the online Ancestry Member Tree (AMT). Dependent upon the frequency of the backups, this may require some reentry of data or reediting of data. 4. Creating a new data base with a single individual and then merging the old data base into the new data base. This technique retains all information by starting with a new non-corrupted data base and simply transferring all data into it. Unfortunately, the new data base is not linked to the AMT so the user must delete the old AMT and then reupload the new data base to a new AMT. 5. I one instance, my data base was so corrupted that I could not use steps 1, 2 or 4. Also I did not have a current backup of my file so I while I could use step 3, it would entail a lot of data reentry which I could probably not remember all of it. In this case, my only opportunity was to download the AMT into a new data base. In this instance, it was my best opportunity but it also entails extensive editing to get the data base back to my original structure. Items which needed to be reviewed and reedited were: * Place names - all needed to be resolved. * Source-Citations - in many instances, I use a single source-citation to document multiple facts for a single person and also a single source-citation to document facts for multiple individuals. The downloaded AMT restores the links between a single source-citation and multiple facts for a single individual only. Therefore I had to re-aggregate multiple individuals to a single source-citation. While it is not too difficult it is time consuming to merge the duplicate source-citations into a single source-citation. * Media items - I save media files with file names which identify the type of media item and to whom it pertains. The downloaded media files lose this information so I have to rename the media files. As I recall, FTM will use the media Caption as the file name. If the media item does not have a Caption, FTM assigns a more generic name. It has been some time since I looked at this but I think FTM will use the individual's name as part of the generated file name. Also for those media items automatically downloaded from the Ancestry Online Data Bases such as the Census images, the Caption may not be what you had in your original data. The media Description, Image categories, Notes, etc. are lost and will have to be reentered. I don't use source templates but I suspect, those source-citations where templates were used will have to be converted to the template again. Perhaps some one who uses templates can correct me if they are retained. I hope this answers your question. BJ On 5/17/2015 4:59 AM, Mike Thacker wrote: > Dear BJ, > As always when I submit a question to the forum I get an answer to > my problem and also thanks to all that replied, I did as you suggested BJ > and did "deep compacting of the file" this so far seems to have cured the > start - up problem. Is it possible that you could explain how and why the > deep compact works and the ordinary compact does not? (in laymen's terms > please) as I am not a programmer. > Once again may thanks to the forum and members for all the help > given.

Is there a "deep compact" in Family Tree Maker 3 on Mac OS? If so, what keystrokes using: shift, control, option, and command will invoke it? Thanks, John On 5/14/2015 1:25 PM, BJ via wrote: > Assuming the problem lies with the file, Compacting the file normally > corrects the problem but in your case it doesn't seem to do that. So > the next step is to perform a "deep compacting of the file". You can do > this by: > > 1. Opening FTM > 2. Close the file currently open by clicking File, Close. This closes > the file but leaves FTM running. FTM displays the screen for > creating a new file. > 3. Now you can run the "deep compact". To do this Press and hold > Shift+Ctrl+Alt and click C (shift+ctrl+alt+c). FTM will open a > dialog window which you will need to locate your file folder and > select the file name. > 4. Select the file name and click Open. > 5. A dialog box opens, Click Compact. > 6. Compacting will complete. > 7. The New file window will display but in the lower left corner there > should be a window listing files. Click your file and it should > open, hopefully without any problems. > 8. Exit FTM and reopen FTM. Again hopefully the file will open without > any problems.

Do as it says, compact your file in order not to get the message. Ole 2015-05-14 17:35 GMT+02:00 Mike Thacker via <ftm-tech@rootsweb.com>: > Dear Forum, > I have over the last few weeks been experiencing a problem > on start-up with FTM 2014 version 22.0.0.1345 run on a Win 7 O/s with 16 > Gb > memory. On start-up it states. " FTM was not closed properly the last time > it was used You may need to compact your last opened file to resolve any > issues caused by an improper shutdown. To compact the file choose the > Compact File from the tools menu" > I have been in the habit of closing FTM in the past by just > clicking > the close X in the top right of the screen, but on reading further > instructions I now close using the File - Exit command in the top left hand > tool bar. This does not seem to have cured the issue either even after > compacting the file before closing down I still get this recurring fault on > start-up, from memory I think this started about the same time as the last > major upgrade or the last update. Any help or useful suggestions would be > most appreciated. > > > Kind Regards, > Mike. > > > > > ********************************** > List information page > http://lists.rootsweb.com/index/other/Software/FTM-TECH.html > > ------------------------------- > To unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to > FTM-TECH-request@rootsweb.com with the word 'unsubscribe' without the > quotes in the subject and the body of the message > -- Ole P. Bielefeldt www.familytreemaker.dk